Adoption: It's a wonderful option!
—Anne S., Friend of AARF
Adopting a Pet in Anguilla
The Adoption Process
Adoption via AARF is the easiest way to go. Just come by our shelter and choose your new family member!
The adoption fee is US$25 for dogs, US$20 for cats, and that includes a wide array of services, including:
- Vet exam
- The first set of vaccinations (three sets are needed on a certain timeline, generally three weeks apart)
- Deworming
- Spay/neuter surgery when the pet is old enough (typically around six months of age)
- Two coupons offering a discount off the cost of the second and third set of vaccinations (each coupon is good for $10 off). This coupon would work for anyone staying on Anguilla long enough to get the vaccinations, of course.
This low adoption fee, while bundling several services, covers only a small portion of the cost of examining, treating and caring for the animals and the surgery. This adoption package provides a lot of value for the money! However, animals leaving Anguilla have other requirements, such as rabies shots and paperwork; this will result in extra charges.
(AARF is funded solely through the graces of people who pay membership dues, give donations, and participate in our fund raising efforts. We are extremely thankful to them for supporting us and allowing us to provide such an outstanding adoption package amongst our various services.)
Getting to our Shelter
Morlens and the AARF Shelter is located in Sandy Hill on the Long Path Road near the Sandy Hill Roundabout (here is a map to Morlens). Call us at (264) 476–2731 during our operating hours. After hours, you can leave a message. A volunteer will return your call to coordinate your visit.
For visitors, yes, you can adopt here and take your new pet home!
Many people have fallen in love with Anguillians dogs and cats, adopted and taken them back to the USA, Canada, even to Europe. We have cases where people have more than one pet that came from Anguilla!
Adopting a dog or cat and taking it back to the United States from Anguilla is pretty easy. AARF and the Morlens Veterinary Clinic can help.
In this section, we will give as much information as we can (including a detailed example of shipping a puppy in a crate to Chicago), but the reader will need to check with each country and airline to get the latest regulations and find out what paperwork is required. We list some helpful links at the bottom of this page.
While we have many successful and happy adoption stories, we are most familiar people with taking their new pets to the United States; therefore, that is mostly what this section covers. We found a Canadian web site that talks about importing dogs and cats (see below).
We've had successful adoption of kittens to Germany and Switzerland, but European Union rules appear to be more strict than for North America (for example, there appear to be requirements for pet passports and microchips).
We would like to hear from those who have adopted and taken pets abroad, especially how it went with the airlines and various government entities. If you have tidbits we can pass on, please send us a pre-addressed email with the details.
Where to start?
The first step is easy: find a puppy, dog, cat or kitten that you would love to give a second chance and a forever home.
We recommend you come by the Shelter and adopt one our our deserving animals. We almost always have deserving puppies/dogs/kittens/cats there who would love to join a caring family. And the adoption fee is quite reasonable to get your pet started on the path to a great new life.
At times, however, island visitors find an animal on the beach, road, or at their villas and decide to save it. In this case, the next step is critical: make sure the pet isn't owned by someone! The animal may have wandered into a villa, or gotten loose from a neighbor. Many local pets don't have collars or tags, and many yards are not enclosed.
If you have a possible candidate for adoption at your hotel or villa, ask around: ask property owners, caretaker staff, neighbors for example. Ask if the animal is available for adoption. Only if you are sure the pet is not owned by someone should you proceed with the adoption.
Once it has been determined that adoption is possible, decide if your airline will take your pet. Airlines have their own regulations that cover when and how you can take a pet, if at all. Their regulations can include the temperatures along the route, specifications for the container (size and dimensions for example) for your pet, and more.
Next, make an appointment with Morlens Veterinary Hospital so that you can take the animal in for an examination, vaccinations, de–worming, rabies shot (if it's a dog) and health certificate for travel from Anguilla. Unfortunately, there are many diseases and ailments, and there is some risk in adopting a stray. You will need to pay for the exam, vaccinations, deworming and nearly always a flea/tick treatment. Again, if you get your new pet from AARF at the shelter, your adoption fee will have covered all of this, and your costs will be reduced.
We have found that getting to the St. Maarten airport works best by avoiding going through the French side. It is very possible they could invoke the European Union animal transport rules, which among other things, requires a pet passport (yes, a real passport!), a micro-chip (which your new pet won't have), etc. There are ferries from Blowing Point that go directly to the airport. Air service to Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico are possible as well. We are always interested in what happens when people take pets off Anguilla, whether it goes smoothly or not! Use this pre-addressed email to send an email to our general email account with your story! (If it doesn't work, please use our General email link on our Contact Us page.)
Whether or not you get your pet from AARF, your home country will have vaccination and paperwork requirements. Countries like the U.S. require a health certificate. Some countries may have other immigration/customs requirements.
Generally, however, your pet will need to be current on vaccinations and receive an exam and health certificate from a veterinarian; these can be taken care of at Morlens Veterinary Clinic.
If a dog is of a certain age, a rabies vaccination will probably be needed. Anguilla is a rabies–free country.
Transporting your pet on an airline: some thoughts
Airlines generally make taking dogs to the United States easy, in case you, the reader, would like to have your very own Anguilla dog or cat (highly recommended as you can see from our many Newsletter Happy Tails articles). We've had good luck with American Airlines, as well as Continental. Things to consider are how you will take your pet, airport temperatures from start to final destination, and pet friendly hotels.
In the cabin or in the cargo hold?
Small animals, such as cats or tiny dogs can go inside the cabin. They must fit comfortably in a soft–sided or hard carrier (they must be able to move around), and must be able to fit completely under the seat in front of you. Because they have to fit under the seat, seats such as those in a bulkhead row cannot be booked. Airlines will likely charge a fee for you to transport your pet. For in–cabin pets, by the way, the carrier counts as one of your carry–ons.
If you plan in advance to adopt a small puppy or kitten that can go inside the airplane, AARF recommends that you consider buying and bringing a soft–sided carrier with you to transport your new pet back home. Pet carriers and crates of any kind are extremely difficult to locate in Anguilla, which is why we advise you to bring one. That said we try to have a small supply of soft carriers and hard crates for sale. Unfortunately buying and then shipping those crates and carriers to Anguilla (and paying Customs duties on them) increases our costs.
Bigger animals have to go in the airplane's cargo hold, essentially as checked baggage. A larger animal in a crate may incur an over–sized baggage charge as well. Airlines may also have a maximum weight and size limit. Please see your airline's web page that covers transporting pets. We list several at the bottom of this page.
Other airlines may or may not allow you to take animals either on board or in the hold, so it is imperative to first check with them. In particular, make sure small independent airlines and charters will take pets. We've had success stories with large mainstream airlines; two examples are American Airlines flying from Sint Maarten and San Juan to US cities such as Miami and Chicago as well as Continental flying from St. Maarten to Boston (via NY).
For Checked Pets: Cargo Hold Temperature Limits
At certain times in the year — primarily when the temperature gets too high (or too low) for any airport in the flight's itinerary — airlines will not transport animals in the hold. This is to prevent dehydration and heat stroke on one end and cold related problems on the other end. At the end of this article, we list links to various airlines and their traveling with animals pages.
For example, as of this writing, the high temperature threshold for American Airlines is 85 degrees Fahrenheit, 29.4 degrees Celsius for most animals. American and other airlines often cites different temperatures for “snub–nosed” dog breeds. To continue our example, American has an upper limit of 75 degrees Fahrenheit for snub nosers.
In particular, that means from the Spring until it gets cooler later in the year, it can be risky if you try and transport a pet in hot weather. Flying early in the morning helps. Note that a passenger jet has a pressurized and temperature controlled hold; inter–islander prop planes such as the ATR–72s used by American Eagle do not, and neither would any company that uses smaller airplanes.
On the other end of the thermometer, there is a cold temperature limit. We've seen temperature limits of 45 degrees Fahrenheit for some airlines. Colder than that, at any point along the airline's path and the animal cannot go into the hold. It is imperative to double check with the airline before booking the pet reservation to find out if there will be a problem.
Typically, you have to make an airline reservation for your pet traveling in the cabin with you, just as you do for yourself. For example, American assigns a separate Record Locator (besides yours) to the pet. Checked pets do not need a reservation but American has a first come, first served policy on taking checked animals, as they seem to have a limit on how many animals can go on one flight. We don't know what that might be, but on one trip from St. Maarten this last June, it was heard they had 3–4 crated animals in the hold, and we didn't hear of anyone being denied. Still, this is a reason to get to the airport early.
Crate Basics
For pets small enough to ride in the cabin, a soft carrier is ideal, as it allows it to fit under the seat while giving the pet the most room possible.
For checked pets, a secure crate with some way to put water in the crate is needed. Most crates are plastic with vent holes and have a wired front door with a way to bolt on a small water bowl to the inside. This bowl is nearly always required and, furthermore, must be accessible from the outside. This allows you and the airline personnel to put water in the crate without opening the door. Some crate manufacturers sell dishes and bolt on kits. Finding them on Anguilla is a challenge.
AARF is now selling crates and soft–sided carriers at the shelter, but supplies vary. Be sure to check early in case we are out of the size you need. Anguilla does not have a store with crates for sale, so if there aren't any (Anguillians use the phrase "is finish" instead of "we are out of that item") a trip to St. Maarten may be needed. On the Dutch side of St. Maarten, the Mega Ace hardware store in Cole Bay has had them in the past. If you buy one in St. Maarten and bring the crate back to Anguilla, expect to pay a duty fee, although you can tell Customs that the crate is leaving the island and so should not be taxed.
You will also need to attach information on your pet to the crate. A typed itinerary, food and water instructions, and other pertinent data, put in a gallon–sized baggie (for rain protection), and taped that to the top of the crate works well. The crate must also have large “Live Animal” signage on it; some airlines specify how large the sign must be.
American Airlines requires that you sign stating when you last gave the pet food and water at check in time; we included this in our documentation we put in the taped-on baggie.
Also buy some plastic tie–wraps (aka cable ties or zip–ties). Reusable one that can be unfastened over and over are the best, because then they can be re–used. Otherwise, buy normal locking ones and bring along one of those tiny toe–nail clippers (scissors, knives and other cutting tools will be confiscated). Expect to have to unlock the cage at every new airport for a crate inspection; have enough tie wraps to re-secure the crate at different stops along the way. The airlines have these tie wraps sometimes, but it's best to have your own just in case.
Take along an empty plastic bottle so that you can fill it with water once you land. When your pet arrives in baggage claim (most likely at the "Oversized Luggage" door, you can put some water in the bowl
Local Transportation
Taxis
We have found that taxi drivers in St. Maarten are most likely happy to transport pets, and probably will not have any issues. We have heard some anecdotal evidence of taxis here attempting to charge extra for a pet. We haven't had that happen personally, but we are low key about having a pet along. We keep the pet in the crate at all times and we handle the crate ourselves.
Ferries
We have had no problems with local ferry operators taking pets. For obvious safety and consideration issues, keep the pet in the crate or carrier at all times.
Pet Friendly Hotels in Sint Maarten
For a next day's flight, consider staying at Mary's Boon hotel near the airport. It's a very pet friendly place (expect to see contented dogs roaming the place), with a great beach, restaurant, and friendly staff and ownership. It's a few minutes drive to the airport, so you and your pet can get there early and be rested. We talked about our experiences with Mary's Boon resort in a past newsletter. (That newsletter has two of our greatest Happy Tales as well, and Mary's Boon figured in both of them. One of them is the tale of Sandy (see below for a direct link) and the other is of Boo.)
An Example: Sandy's trip from Anguilla to Chicago
Here is how Sandy and Mark got from Anguilla to St. Maarten, the American Eagle to San Juan and then and American Airlines 757 to Chicago (all in one long day). Sandy had been adopted by a couple in the Midwest, and Mark was heading in that direction, so he escorted Sandy to his new home.
On the day of the flight, Sandy and Mark took a very early ferry to the Sint Maarten airport (airport code SXM). We wanted the earliest morning flight since it was projected to approach the 85 degree cutoff temperature later in the day in St. Maarten. Even though the winds were up and the water was choppy, Sandy was fine in the boat, happily sniffing away. The ferry service used (the Link) provided a taxi at the St. Maarten Immigration office. After showing Mark's passport, the taxi took him and Sandy to the airport. (Elapsed time so far: about 30 minutes for the ferry, 30 minutes for the St. Maarten immigration process, 10 minute for the taxi to the airport.)
Once at the airport, Sandy was let out for a walk in a small area in front of the terminal and he got some water. Next came the security inspection (which is in an area to the right of the check in counters). The dog has to come out of the crate so that security can look inside, and possibly send the crate though a scanner.
After the crate and dog inspection, Sandy was turned over to the American handlers. Mark needed to use his own cable ties to secure the crate door. (The airline should supply reusable ties, but it's best to bring 10 or so just in case; in this case the airline had no ties on hand.)
The next task was to make sure that he got loaded on the American Eagle plane to San Juan and that he was in no danger of overheating. (Yes, it's been known to happen that the ground crew fails to load the crate on the plane.) Mark did this by asking the gate agent to verify that he got on the plane. And in fact, as Mark walked to the plane for boarding, he walked by the plane's open cargo hatch and saw the crate, with the dog inside.
In San Juan, Sandy popped out the oversized luggage bin in Baggage Claim, and he and Mark cleared Customs. There was a long enough layover, so Mark hired a porter to wheel the crate and his bags to a small area outside the airport where he could give Sandy some water and let him out for a bit. (Mark had taken an empty Nalgene bottle as a carry on, which was filled with water in a restroom after landing in San Juan.)
Mark then took Sandy to the American Airlines check in (for the San Juan to Chicago leg) area, and was directed to a special area, where he again needed to come out of the crate so that the crate could be inspected by TSA. Once that happened, back in he went and this time, the agent gave Mark a couple of removable zip–ties to make sure the crate stayed shut.
Mark repeated the process to make sure Sandy was put on the flight to Chicago. He asked the gate agent to make sure he got loaded, and when he stepped onto the plane, asked the flight attendant to make sure the pilots call the ground crew to make sure he got on. The American crew was happy to oblige, in fact coming to Mark's seat to let me know all was OK.
The rest was easy. After deplaning in Chicago, Mark got water from a restroom (aside to dog owners: from the sink!) again and by the time he got to Baggage Claim, he knew to head over to the oversized luggage area. After a bit, buzzers rang, lights flashed, and out slid Sandy's crate. Mark had called to make arrangements to deliver Sandy outside the baggage area, and was able to meet the new family at the curb. One last kiss on Sandy's snout, and off he was to his new home. Mark then went back into the terminal for his connecting flight.
In Conclusion
It's easy to adopt an Anguilla dog or cat and take your new pet home with you. We recommend it and we continue to get happy updates from adopters years later. Just look at our newsletters for proof. If you are interested, talk to an AARF volunteer!
Links to Some known airline and Government pages
Here is our list of known airline pet pages. If you know about or are interested in airlines we didn't list, please send an email to the Webmaster. In some cases, we suggest specific alternate ways to try and find the pet pages. That is because web sites are always in flux. Pages get moved, changed, renamed, or deleted, and this page will have errors before long.
In general, there are different ways to try and find the pet pages.
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Use Google. As an example, for the American Airlines pet page, enter something like "American Airlines traveling with pets", or better yet, the following into Google search field (the plus signs tell Google that all words with the plus symbols must exist):
american +airlines +pets
For the CDC, try Googling for
CDC +importing +animals
For the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, try searching for
“Canadian Food Inspection Agency” +Animals
and then look for "pets".
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Go to the main page of the airline or agency and look for a tab or menu that says "pets" or "animals". If the page has a search button, search for "pets" or "animals".
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Use Seat Guru; it has a Pets menu in a tab near the top (to the right of the word "General"). We recommend getting the most up to date information possible directly from the airline, so please double check with the airline!
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While researching this article, we also blundered (that happens a lot with the webmaster, actually) across pettravel.com and it has information about airlines, trains, ships, pet friendly hotels and more. We haven't used it, nor heard from anyone using it, but we are interested if you know anything about them. Send the webmaster an email using the "Contact Us" link. We did try to see if it knew about hotels we've used in a couple of different regions around the USA, and it did in fact know about them.
Links
You can also try: go to www.airfrance.us and under the "Preparing your trip" tab, see "Animals".
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency talks about importing dogs and cats into Canada.
CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
For Americans, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site details American requirements for imported pets.
Also try: go to www.delta.com and search for "pets".
Also try: go to www.mexicana.com and then to the "Information" tab. There is a section called "Pets".
NWA and Delta have merged, so also try: go to www.delta.com and search for "pets".
Also try: go to www.unitedcargo.com/services/ and look for "Animals".
Also try: go to www.usairways.com and use their search button to look for "pets".
Look for the Pets menu in a tab near the top.